Jealousy
by TeaRoses
Summary: An AxI fic that's on the lighter side. Integra has a new bodyguard, why is Alucard so angry about it? Now complete.
1. The Bodyguard

(I don't own Hellsing, other people do. I keep forgetting to say that. And, many thanks to my husband for reviewing and editing this.)  
  
I raised my eyebrow at Walter. "A bodyguard? What on earth does Sir Integral need with a bodyguard? She's managed to keep herself alive this long, with a little help from us."  
  
"The Round Table insisted on this. And they insist it be a person."  
  
I know I'm not human, but I didn't know I wasn't a person. If you cut me, do I not, well, never mind.  
  
"Is he some sort of spy for the Round Table?"  
  
"Probably. But we can't afford any trouble right now, Alucard."  
  
I shrugged, and thought no more about it. Until the next time I came to Integra's office, and saw a man standing across from her at the desk. He was tall and broad-shouldered with brown hair and brown eyes, which widened perceptibly when I appeared. But he soon recovered himself and attempted to stare me down.  
  
Integra sighed. "Alucard, meet Jackson; Jackson, meet our badly kept secret, Alucard."  
  
There was a brief silence. Integra sighed again. "Do you want something, Alucard?"  
  
"Just a look at the new staff member."  
  
"Well you've had it, you may disappear."  
  
"Yes, master." I was quite unimpressed, and certain Integra would find some excuse to get rid of him soon.  
  
But during the next week Jackson became a fixture at Hellsing. Every time I dropped in on Integra he seemed to be there, trying to look tough. He even acquired a special gun from Walter, which I suspected he had no idea how to use. But he never went out on missions or did anything truly useful.  
  
Once he even got in my way as I was heading, on foot for once, to visit Integra.  
  
"I check all visitors," he said stiffly.  
  
"You are not here to protect Integra from me!" I replied sharply. I considered doing something life-threatening to him at that point but instead I merely grinned. He turned slightly pale and let me through.  
  
I asked Walter what he thought of the man. He had an unexpected answer.  
  
"I believe he has developed a crush on Integra."  
  
I threw my head back and laughed. "Walter, you must be joking. Who would dare have a crush on Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing?"  
  
Walter merely shook his head.  
  
"She's an attractive woman, Alucard."  
  
"That doesn't explain why she puts up with him"  
  
"Perhaps she enjoys his company?"  
  
I mulled over this conversation as I drank a bag of medical blood. Integra, an attractive woman? Was Jackson attracted to mannish suits and cigars? To anger and sarcasm? Perhaps he was the type who needed a woman to dominate him.  
  
And could she really be attracted to him? That really made me wonder. Surely she had no time to waste on love and men. Not to mention that she could do much better than that so-called bodyguard.  
  
I began to give this matter entirely too much thought. I considered taking my mind off of it by going out and making some trouble, but I had been strictly enjoined against such actions. Taking blood from humans, even if they eventually woke up with a headache and a puncture wound, was bad press. Corpses were even worse.  
  
This was ridiculous. What did it matter to me whether my master was an attractive woman, or what Jackson thought?  
  
(Author's note: I am not sure whether, in the Hellsing anime or manga, a vampire can feed on a person without killing them or turning them into a ghoul. For the purposes of this fanfic they can.) 


	2. Disturbing Thoughts

(To my readers: Thanks so much! But I'm not having a dramatic confrontation between the two of them; it would be over in seconds. I'm going to let Alucard stew in his own juices for a while here, and then he'll seek advice. Hope you'll want to continue reading.)  
  
Things got busy at Hellsing for a while after that. A new infestation of freaks brought out the troops and occasionally myself. I noticed that Jackson never seemed to be around when there was real trouble, but maybe that was only because Integra herself was being more careful. Still, my opinion that he was useless was confirmed.  
  
Integra still seemed to disagree. One day I saw them come in out of the rain, sharing an umbrella and laughing. That laughter seemed to follow me everywhere.  
  
Then came the incident with the bath. As I passed Integra's room one evening I heard the noise of water filling the bathtub. And right outside the bathroom door was Jackson. Surely his bodyguard duties didn't include watching her take a bath? Jackson smirked at me and I gave him a steely glare. I kept picturing Jackson spying on Integra while bathing, which led to actually picturing her in the bathtub. That picture was even more disturbing.  
  
The next day I saw a light in Integra's office before dawn and went in. For a while she kept staring at her papers and I just stood there looking at her. There was ink on her fingertips and it had been transferred to her hair. Her body was slouched over in the chair. Her face was screwed up in frustration, her mouth pursed. But suddenly there was no doubt in my mind why a man would be attracted to her.  
  
"Where's your bodyguard?" I asked.  
  
"He can't work twenty-four hours a day, Alucard. He's asleep."  
  
"Is he really a spy for the Round Table?"  
  
"I doubt it, and in any case after recent events I no longer have much to hide from them."  
  
I nodded. I couldn't bring myself to ask her if she found him attractive; that just sounded entirely too pathetic. And I certainly wasn't about to ask if she have ever caught him spying on her bath.  
  
"Well, Integra, perhaps it's nice for you, having another person around."  
  
Integra merely answered with a distracted "Mmm-hmm." and stared further at her papers. She didn't seem to be blushing, or showing any of those human signs of nervousness. Then again, maybe she wasn't really listening. Finally I gave up looking at her and went off to go to sleep.  
  
When I woke up Seras knocked on the door.  
  
"Master," she said, "would you like to go to target practice with me?"  
  
"The only thing I want to shoot is a bodyguard," I replied.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Never mind, I have no need of target practice."  
  
Clearly things had gotten out of hand. I decided to ask for advice. But I didn't want anyone at Hellsing to know about my uncomfortable feelings regarding my master. I decided to go and visit Elle. 


	3. Elle

(A.N. Thank you very much to everyone who read and reviewed this! And thanks again to my husband for reading and reviewing)  
  
Whomever it was that turned Elle into a vampire, they had probably made a mistake. She had been a rather cheerful, plump, rather kind-hearted woman in her thirties at the time, and she continued to be a rather cheerful, plump, kind-hearted woman with an unfortunate need to drink human blood.  
  
I had encountered her on a few occasions before and after my time in the Hellsing dungeons, and as she was more of an amusement than a threat, I had left her unharmed. She took enough non-lethal snacks from those who slept in the nearby park to stay alive, and occasionally Walter would slip me a few extra blood bags for her. Walter and I were keeping her a secret from Integra. Even though Elle was such an inoffensive old thing, there was no telling what Integra might do to her.  
  
Inoffensive or not, Elle had somehow managed to live a rather long life as a vampire, and I was hoping she might have some insight into vampire-human relations. I needed some help with these feelings that I was so unaccustomed to.  
  
Elle greeted me cheerfully and put the blood away for later. Her curly blonde hair had not turned white, so she seemed to be doing well for herself.  
  
"Well, Alucard, what brings you to see me? I hope I am not an object of concern at Hellsing?"  
  
I smiled the way I always did when Elle spoke. She had cultivated a French accent despite never having crossed the English Channel.  
  
"No, it's nothing like that Elle. I'm just wondering about something. have you ever felt an attraction to anyone, since you've been in your present form of life?"  
  
"An attraction to another vampire? No, dear, I was always afraid they might stalk me throughout eternity." She gave a little shudder.  
  
"What about a human?" I asked.  
  
"A human? Why yes, quite a few. Especially my dear Philippe."  
  
I smiled again. His name had probably been Phil.  
  
"And he was such a sweet man, and always treated me so kindly."  
  
At least Elle didn't seem to think it was foolish to feel some of the softer emotions. Though sweet and kind were quite low on my list of adjectives to describe Integra.  
  
"So Philippe returned your feelings?"  
  
"Oh yes, he loved me dearly, and never seemed afraid of me even though of course he knew what I was. He was a true gentleman. He used to meet me nights and take me dancing. Such a graceful dancer he was."  
  
I couldn't quite picture dancing with Integra. But I did allow myself a brief image of holding her in my arms, and it was a pleasant distraction. Still, there was one issue for which I had to interrupt Elle's reverie.  
  
"But he grew old."  
  
"Oh yes, he would have made a terrible vampire, even worse than me. He grew old, and died, and was kind and handsome to the last. And you are wondering whether it was worth it. Yes, it was worth every minute of it."  
  
I nodded. I really didn't want to think of Integra growing old and dying, but I could imagine knowing her being worth that experience.  
  
"But tell me about this human lady," she went on. "There must be one, since you are asking me such questions. What is her name?"  
  
"Integra."  
  
Elle looked shocked. "Sir Integral? Your employer? The one with the very strict attitudes regarding the undead?"  
  
She began to laugh. "Really, Alucard, you must love a challenge. You have always portrayed her to me as such a bit- er, a headstrong woman. "  
  
I laughed. If Integra had not had that quality, I would not be in the trouble I was in now.  
  
"You're probably right that it's an impossible situation, especially as it seems I have competition," I said.  
  
Elle waved a hand in dismissal. "Well, that is nothing to you, whoever it is can't survive long if you are after him."  
  
"I can't kill a Hellsing employee, Elle. I'm under seal. And Integra would do something awful to me."  
  
"You're quite resourceful, Alucard; I have confidence in you."  
  
I was glad someone did. But as she spoke, I had finally begun to formulate a plan to reveal Jackson as the coward he was. And then, well, then we would see if my courage measured up to the challenge of Integra. 


	4. Fight!

Integra warned me the next week about plans for a fancy dinner meeting of the Round Table.  
  
"A dinner meeting? What sort of organization have we become then?" I asked.  
  
"The sort that needs the backing of a few select rich patrons, chosen by the Round Table. Do you object?"  
  
"Why should I care?"  
  
As a matter of fact, the dinner fit in perfectly with my plans. I sent a note off that very evening.  
  
In the meantime, I was forced once again to watch Jackson absolutely doting on Integra. Really, the whole thing had become just sickening. He did everything but cut up her food and feed it to her. And I was fairly certain she was still dressing herself. She didn't seem to mind; in fact she seemed to encourage his attentions. I tried to talk to Walter about it but he merely shrugged and said it was good for Integra. Seras actually went so far as to call Jackson "cute" at which point I decided never to speak to her on the subject again.  
  
I couldn't seem to have a conversation with Integra alone either; he was always there, interrupting me. He still seemed to do everything but actually act as a bodyguard. I was happy with Integra's decision to stay off the front lines, she had put herself in extreme danger too often, but I was angry that it seemed to keep Jackson out of trouble.  
  
The evening of the dinner meeting I was quite excited. I was not expected to attend, but I walked by the door several times to see the seating plan. Jackson was seated separately from Integra for once, which worked out excellently.  
  
Finally, after all the guests were inside and seated, a worried Walter approached me to announce an arrival unexpected to him but very welcome to me: Father Alexander Anderson.  
  
I grinned. "Send him up here, Walter."  
  
"But the dinner meeting is going on."  
  
"Send him up here anyway." Walter could tell I was plotting something, but in the end he gave in, and soon I saw the priest himself coming around the corner. As he saw me he drew a silver knife and began to run. I had known I would not have to mince words, but this was going better than I had thought. I ran into the banquet room with Anderson after me.  
  
The uproar began as soon as we entered, with Round Table members drawing guns or running out the other doors. A few unarmed people, probably potential rich patrons, ran even faster. I wanted to be sure Integra wasn't in any danger, but she was simply standing in a corner looking bored. I knew Anderson wouldn't go after her so I continued to lure him into the room.  
  
When I had a clear shot I fired at Anderson but it didn't even slow him down. Soon I spied my real target: Jackson, who was still sitting at a table looking wide-eyed and frightened. He hadn't even drawn his gun. I ran straight past him and stood behind his chair, taunting Anderson. Anderson ran up, knocked over the chair, and stepped on Jackson. I had been hoping Jackson would get a silver bayonet shoved somewhere embarrassing but this was good enough. Jackson rolled under a table and began to whimper.  
  
Finally Integra stepped out of the corner with her gun. By now the Round Table members and any rich prospects had fled the room. She aimed the gun at Anderson.  
  
"Father Anderson, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to go back to the Vatican or wherever it is you go when you're not trying to kill Alucard. Alucard, I'll deal with you later." Then, without even turning to face the table, she said, "Jackson, it's all over now, you may crawl away."  
  
I had done enough for one day. I walked out and waited, not without nervousness, for Integra's retribution.  
  
(Sorry this was a bit short but it moved quickly I hope. There will be an epilogue!) 


	5. Epilogue

(A. N. Many, many thanks to all my reviewers, I am so glad you enjoyed my little attempt at a light fic. This is the end of this one, but I do plan on writing more Hellsing fiction, especially about Alucard and Integra. Hope this last part isn't too mushy for you, I tried pretty hard to lay off on the mush.)  
  
I couldn't stop laughing at the vision of Jackson crawling under that table. When I fell asleep in the morning my mind was filled with happy thoughts of showing Integra just how much more brave, suave and all-around excellent I was compared to him. I was certain by the end of our next conversation she'd be falling into my arms and begging my forgiveness for looking at the bodyguard. I suppose I should have known better.  
  
The next evening she summoned me to her office immediately.  
  
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" she asked me.  
  
"Do tell."  
  
"You have panicked the Round Table and alienated potential rich donors. We'll never get them inside Hellsing Manor again!"  
  
I waved my hand in dismissal. "Good riddance!"  
  
"Don't you get enough trouble from that priest without inviting him over for more? And don't tell me you didn't invite him here, because Walter knows the truth."  
  
"It was worth it."  
  
"Worth it for what?"  
  
I laughed. "Getting rid of that useless bodyguard."  
  
This was the point where she was supposed to join in my laughter. She didn't.  
  
"My bodyguard was none of your business, Alucard. If it weren't so ridiculous I would think that you were jealous of him."  
  
"Jealous?" I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, jealous that someone seemed to notice my feminine charms."  
  
"You have feminine charms? You hide them so well." This was my suave seductive speech? Something had gone very wrong here.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter. Jackson and I have agreed that he should seek other employment. The Round Table having completely despaired of me, they should have no objections. But don't expect me to get rid of everyone that gets on your nerves."  
  
"That would include you!" I snapped.  
  
"Well, if you don't like it here, go visit your friend Elle again."  
  
At the surprised look on my face, she gave what sounded like a bitter little laugh.  
  
"You thought I didn't know about Elle? Well, don't worry about it, your little friends are no concern of mine unless they threaten this institution."  
  
"My little friends?" I grinned, showing her my fangs. "Perhaps you're the one that's jealous."  
  
"Jealous of what?"  
  
I looked her in the eyes, keeping my face inches away from hers. "Jealous that somebody else enjoys my company?"  
  
"Who says I enjoy your company?" she retorted.  
  
"Before your bodyguard showed up you didn't seem to mind it much. Perhaps if I pay a bit more attention to your feminine charms I'll start to grow on you."  
  
I reached out and toyed with that annoying tie she always wears. She smacked my hand away, but she was smiling a little.  
  
"And if I continue to be my usual bitchy self?" she asked.  
  
I smiled. "I wouldn't want you any other way." 


End file.
